Russia touts new 'victories' on frontline - Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation explains real motive
Photo: ukrainian forces continue to hold the line on the frontline (Getty Images)
Russia is expected to step up battlefield pressure in the coming weeks and amplify it with loud public claims, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
According to the head of the center, the Russians will make loud statements and try to put pressure on the front solely for a Western audience and to raise the stakes in diplomacy.
According to Andrii Kovalenko, part of Vovchansk is currently under the control of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
"The Russian forces also did not capture Kupiansk but lied about it," he noted.
Kovalenko emphasized that heavy fighting on the front continues, and Russian forces are committing significant manpower.
Which settlements Russian army 'captured'
The Russian command continues to publish claims about supposedly successful actions of its troops, but the statements voiced by the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, are not confirmed by Ukrainian sources and do not match the real situation on the front.
In his latest briefings, Gerasimov claimed that Russian troops had allegedly encircled Stepnohirske in the Zaporizhzhia region; were "successfully advancing" in Dnipropetrovsk region; that about 30% of buildings in Kostiantynivka had allegedly come under Russian control; and that assault units of the West grouping had entered Lyman in the Donetsk region.
As with other statements by the Russian command, this information has not been confirmed by the Ukrainian side and is considered another attempt to present the situation on the front in Moscow’s favor.
On October 26, Russian generals also informed the dictator that Ukrainian troops had allegedly "been encircled" in several directions. Among the "encircled" cities, they mentioned Kupiansk, and Putin even wanted to invite "media representatives" to the city.
Meanwhile, on December 1, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that despite Russian claims, Ukrainian defenders had cleared almost all occupiers from Kupiansk.
